


Second Chances: Eleanor

by boomerangarrow, SaphyreDaze



Series: Soltryce Days [7]
Category: Critical Role (Web Series)
Genre: Gen, Original Character(s), Soltryce Academy, Soltryce Days, some light sins, volstrucker in training
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-05
Updated: 2021-01-05
Packaged: 2021-03-15 16:34:04
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,615
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28567014
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/boomerangarrow/pseuds/boomerangarrow, https://archiveofourown.org/users/SaphyreDaze/pseuds/SaphyreDaze
Summary: After her recent failures, Eleanor is sent on a mission to prove her worth to the Martinet as his pupil.(written for the Soltryce Days tag/server <3 )
Series: Soltryce Days [7]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2096178





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> quick CW: this includes an adult male flirting with a seventeen-year-old woman, although he does not know she is underage.

Eleanor shifted nervously as she sat in Da’leth’s study, waiting for him to speak. She felt like she’d been sitting there for ages, but… It wouldn’t do to rush him. She’d rather not irritate him, considering… Everything.

Finally, he spoke. “Eleanor.” He looked at her for a long moment. “The Langenberg boy has seen fit to end your betrothal. Were you aware of this?” His expression was inscrutable, a horrifyingly placid neutral that Eleanor absolutely hated.

She nodded slightly, lips pressing together. “I am aware, yes. He told me only a few hours before he made it official. It came as quite the shock to me as well, Master Da’leth. I had no idea he was interested in ending things in favor of travel.”

He stared at her again, a slight frown appearing. “I see. And you had nothing to do with the decision?”

“No, sir. He did it of his own accord.” She fidgeted, looking nervous. It had been a massive surprise for her when it’d been brought up after Blockbrau, which… Hadn’t been too great. Surprises, when it came to her training as a Volstrucker, were, in a word, suboptimal. In a few more, fucking disastrous.

“Hm. And you couldn’t convince him to keep the betrothal?”

“Unfortunately, I could not. He seemed  _ quite _ set on the subject.”

“I see.” Da’leth’s frown grew by another fraction of an inch, making Eleanor squirm again. But then he looked down to the book in front of him, writing… Something. Making her wait more. Then he looked up, an eyebrow raised. “I have a mission for you.”

“A mission?” She kept her voice as neutral as she could, but knew that her confusion was evident. “Is Evaelyn coming with me?”

“No, she isn’t. Ellyn will be accompanying you, though, to help ensure your success.” He looked back to his book, as if to check something. Eleanor was pretty sure he was just trying to make her sweat a little more. “You’ll be procuring an item for me. A magical core. There’s a fellow who has it, by the name of Destrian Redstream. I need you to get it from him without him realizing. If you must kill him, do it, but don’t make a mess of it. I’m not interested in cleaning up after you  _ again _ . Do you understand?”

Nervously, she nodded, hands folding. “Yes, sir. When do I leave?”

“Immediately. I’ve taken the liberty of having bags packed for you. Ellyn is downstairs.”

Her face paled slightly, confusion returning. “Where will we be going for this?”

“Bladegarden. You’ll be traveling via teleportation circle. The sooner you get back, the better.”

“Of course. I won’t let you down.”

“Good.” With that, Da’leth looked down at his papers, tacitly dismissing Eleanor.

Uneasily, she left the study, going to find Ellyn as fast as possible. Once Eleanor arrived, the elven woman smiled. “It’s nice to see you,” she murmured, pulling her in for a quick hug. “Here’s your bag. Are you ready to go?”

“I am. I always bring my components, especially when Master Da’leth calls on me.”

“Excellent.” Ellyn’s smile was warm as she led Eleanor along, quickly going to the basement of Da’leth’s tower and showing her a heavily locked room. “Come along, we’ll be there in no time. We’ll stop at an inn tonight and go over details. I’m excited to be working with you Eleanor.” 

El nodded, a little nervous as she stepped onto the circle and felt the shift beneath her feet. Honestly, it made her a little sick, but she wasn’t sure if it was the travel or her nerves in general. She hadn’t had a second to herself, she felt, to send a message along; maybe once they were at the inn, she’d have a moment to do something.

Once they got settled into a room, Eleanor sat on her bed cross-legged. “So… What exactly am I meant to do? Master Da’leth said I’m meant to fetch some sort of magical core from a man named Destrian.”

“That’s pretty much it. We’re to find the core, keep it quiet and quick. He’s a smart man but weak to a pretty girl and a quick tongue.” Ellyn went and adjusted the curtains of the room, “It should be pretty simple. I have complete faith in you. This is right up your alley.” 

Eleanor nodded a little, trying to think. “How much do I need to do to ply that weakness, you think?” The question was open-ended, but... She really hoped that her worries wouldn’t be the case. The idea brought that little bit of nausea back from before, that same uneasiness. “Drinks and compliments, or something a little more, ah, direct?”

”You don’t have to fuck him, if that’s what you’re getting at. You’re not even eighteen yet darling.” Ellyn shook her head, hoisting her bag onto one of the beds and shuffling through it.

“That was the implication, yes. And I know I’m not, but I’m also not so naive as to think that’s not a possibility at some point. I’m just glad it doesn’t have to be anytime soon.” Her shoulders bounced in a little shrug, tail flicking. “So. This core. What does it look like, what size is it? I don’t have a bag of holding, so I’m hoping it isn’t too large to fit in a pouch.”

Ellyn held out her hands measuring about the size of a small melon, "They're a decent size but not impossible to get ahold of." She pulled a smaller satchel out of her bag, "This should suffice." 

Eleanor nodded, taking the satchel. “Alright. So… Tomorrow, we begin. I’ll do my best to get it as quickly as possible without causing a fuss.”

They chatted a little more before Eleanor politely excused herself for a bath. As soon as she was away, she rubbed the crystal on her necklace with a thumb, unsure of who to reach out to. Everyone seemed good, but… Evie. Evie first.  **“I’ve been sent on a mission. Bladegarden. Not sure how long I’ll be away. I’ll keep you posted. I love you, I’ll be safe. Promise.”**

Evie’s voice came through a moment later, and El felt some of the tension in her shoulders release.  **_Of fucking course. Who are you with? Ellyn?_ **

**Yes. She’s keeping an eye on me, making sure I don’t fuck up. I’m not going to, though. It’s just charm someone and get something.**

**_Just please be careful. Ellyn is a good ally, she’s not much different from who she was before. Share Ash. Ellyn will love her._ **

El laughed softly.  **Noted. I’ll be sure to bring Ash out tonight. Recon starts in the morning, hopefully I’ll be done within the week. Love you, talk soon.**

After taking a moment to breathe, she thought of Col.  **Da’leth sent me out. Hopefully, I’ll be back within a week. I had to leave right away, or else I’d have told you in person.**

Col’s voice filled her head.  **_Trent sent me out as well. I don't know how long I'm going to be gone. Stay safe angel. See you when I get back._ **

El frowned, getting the water for her bath ready.  **Shit, really? Fuck, they've got us all over the place right now. You stay safe too. I'm in Bladegarden, not dangerous at all. I'll be fine.**

**_I wish I could say the same for myself. Just outside of what once was Molaesmyr. I'll try to stay as safe as possible._ **

**Please do. I hope to see you soon, and in one piece. Keep as safe as you can.**

**_For you I will return in one piece, I swear on Melora. The same goes for you as well. I love you._ **

El squeaked, a little shocked by the words he’d said.  _ He loved her?  _ No one had ever said that to her before, other than Evie and their parents.

She hadn’t realized how long she’d paused until his voice was in her mind again.  **_Are you alright angel?_ ** And then there’s his chuckle, just for a moment.  **_Stay safe, we can talk more when I return._ **

**I'm okay?** Her voice was a little higher than normal, the surprise and anxiety clear. **I just--I don't know-- fuck, I've never... Fuck, darling. We can talk soon.** Then she took a few breaths, trying to calm herself down from the unexpected panic she’d felt.

Once she finished talking to Col, she took her bath as fast as possible, thankful she could heat the water quickly with thaumaturgy. Nothing worse than cold water, after all. Then she was back in the room, all smiles and good cheer as she settled down for the night. It was easy to curl up in her bed, grateful for the distance from Ellyn as she longed for her plush cetus or her boyfriend. It wasn’t long before she settled into a restless sleep, tossing and turning and waking up regularly throughout the night.

\---

When she rose in the morning, Ellyn had breakfast waiting for her along with some papers. “Good morning, I have some information ready for you. Apparently he works at the livery when he isn’t too busy aiding in treason. A good starting point for today, and you can tail him as needed. I believe in your skills.”

Eleanor took her coffee gratefully, flipping through the information she’d been given--some about this Destrian character, a map of the town, some quick notes about pubs the locals tended to frequent. Nothing too exciting, really, but a good enough start. Once she’d had breakfast and changed into something that blended in a little better, she was on her way.

Her days followed the same pattern for the better part of a week: keep tabs on Destrian, ask around about him, check in with Ellyn, keep watch from a short distance, report back to Ellyn for the night. It was dreadfully dull, if she was honest; based on what she knew of the man, she was relatively certain she could just… engage already. A little ahead of schedule, perhaps, but the fellow seemed like he wasn’t exactly  _ sharp. _ He’d probably fall over himself for attention from a pretty girl.

That night when Eleanor arrived at the pub, she spent a bit sitting at the bar until she managed to catch his eye with a wink.

Destrian sauntered over, a grin on his lips. “Good evening. What’s got such a pretty girl here on her lonesome? You look like you could use a little company.” He was taller than she’d realized, now that the human was standing next to her--she was barely higher than his shoulder. His long dark hair was braided and pulled away from his face, letting his golden-hazel eyes shine through. If she were even remotely interested, she might call him a bit good-looking. Maybe if he dressed a little better than a fucking stablehand, though.

“I just got into town,” she replied, lying easily enough. “Passing through on some trade, planning on a few days to rest before I get back on the road. I think I’d like some companionship, though, if you’re offering.”

“I think I’ve got time to spare. What’s your name, red?”

“Renata.” She’d had this ready for a little while, and had put on a faint Zemnian accent to match it. She extended a hand to shake his, still smiling. “You?”

“Destrian.” He took her hand, calluses rough against her smooth skin. “Can I buy you a drink, Renata?”

“I’d love that.” Her tail flicked, the spade gently smacking against his leg. “You a local, Destrian? I’ve not yet been up this way, so the area’s a bit new to me.”

“Aye.” He tossed the coin down on the counter as a new mug of ale was produced for Eleanor. “So you work in trade? What sort of product do you bring?”

_ Fuck _ , she hadn’t been expecting that question. “Whatever I get sent off with, really. I think this shipment was for finer crafting.” She shrugged, sipping the ale. “What do you do?”

“I work at the livery, see a lot of people coming in and out of town. Nothing too exciting, but it’s, well, stable.” He grinned at her, amused by her own joke.

Her laughter was forced, but she did her best to make sure it didn’t sound that way. “Sounds like good work, though. Do much travel of your own, Destrian?”

“Nah, but I have some friends that do.” He leaned in, the smell of cigarettes wafting from him and making Eleanor wish she could close her nose. “Are you from the Zemni Fields, then? You’ve got that accent.”

“Aren’t you the insightful one!” She smiled, leaning in a little closer. “I’m from Odessloe, yes. Pass through the Amber Crossroads regularly enough, but sometimes I get sent further afield. Such is work, though.” She took another sip of her shitty ale, subtly casting Suggestion. “Why don’t you tell me more about yourself, handsome?”

They went back and forth for a while, until she got a little more information that was actually useful--but those were kernels she had to hunt for. Eventually, when she couldn’t fight off the boredom anymore, she finished her beer and smiled. “I’m sorry, darling, but I really must be getting along--my bed seems to be calling to me, and I can’t resist anymore.” It slightly interrupted the flow of their conversation, but she was going to lose her damned mind if she stayed longer.

There was an odd little frown on Destrian’s face, but he nodded anyway. “Of course, I understand that hard work can be tiring. Might I see you again tomorrow?”

“Count on it.” Her tone was a little sharp, but she smiled anyway. “You frequent this pub often, darling?”

“I do.”

“Then tomorrow evening, after you’re done working, I’ll try and come by again.” She leaned forward, giving him a flirty wink. “See you then, handsome.”

The slightly embellished version of events went over well with Ellyn--she was glad of the progress, and hoping to be out of the town before too much longer. She preferred places with libraries and books, generally, a desire that Bladegarden was more than happy to disappoint, she had her own projects she was working on as well, and having Martinet sending her out so often had deeply gotten into the way of her research. 

Eleanor had her bag packed early on the sixth day, ready to end the mission and get back to Rexxentrum. Gods, she missed home. Her friends, her sister, Col. While Ellyn was a friend, it was… Different, in a way. They weren’t quite as friendly as they’d once been. But at least there was a familiar face, which was more than could be said for the mission she and Evie had been sent on months prior.

“So,” Ellyn said, smiling at Eleanor over coffee. “Evie told me the two of you took the time to learn find familiar recently.”

El smiled, perking up a little over her coffee. “Yeah, we did. I know it isn’t exactly a priority for us, but.. It’s sort of nice? And it didn’t take too much time at all. Plus, familiars are pretty good for reconnaissance--”

“It’s fine,” Ellyn interrupted gently. “I’m not upset. Companionship is important and I understand. It’s not anything the Martinet needs to be worried about. I’m more curious than anything. She said yours has, and I quote, ‘so many toes.’ She showed me a drawing but I would very much like to see it for myself, if you feel so inclined.”

“Oh!” Eleanor blushed a little, looking down at her coffee. “Yes, of course.” She snapped her fingers, the pale cat appearing in a small flash. “Her name is Aisling, she’s a fey familiar.”

Ellyn let out a soft, almost inaudible squeak of excitement as she reached out, offering a hand for Ash to investigate. “Evie was right, she has  _ so many toes _ ,” she smiled softly, amused. “How’d you manage that?”

“I’ve never really seen many cats up close,” Eleanor admitted, smiling as Ash rubbed her head against Ellyn’s hand. “And it just sort of happened that way. But I love her so much.”

“I’m glad. Animals can be nice--ones you don’t have to feed, even nicer.”

They chatted idly over lunch, Ash happily purring as she was showered with attention. It was a bit different from their prior routines, but… Hopefully, this would be the last day they were in town. A little relaxation before the final step in the plan was permissible.

Eventually, though, Eleanor had to get ready to leave. She put on something slightly nicer than the day before, enough to look good despite the way it made her stomach turn. It made her feel shitty to flirt with someone she wasn’t interested in, which in turn made her feel shitty for getting so soft. Not that she hated being soft, but… It certainly made things like this harder to do. And that wouldn’t be useful, ultimately. So after a few bracing breaths (and a shot of whiskey), she pulled herself together and headed down to the pub.

Destrian was there when she arrived, nearly done with his drink as she joined him at the bar. “Renata! So lovely to see you again!” He was a little too loud, hand lingering too long on her back as she leaned over the bar to order an ale. “I’d been wondering if you’d come back after all. Some girls just say such a thing to get away from a fellow.”

“I’d never,” she lied smoothly, settling into the persona she’d created. “What sort of a girl would I be if I did such a thing to you,  _ Hübscher _ ?” Her tail flicked the back of his leg, a teasing little swat.

“A tease,” he replied, leaning closer. The ale on his breath was already giving her a headache, but she could ignore that. All she had to do was get him to take her home, put him to sleep, and then she could find the damn core and leave. She just wanted to be  _ home. _ “But I don’t think you’re that kind of girl at all, gorgeous.” His hand was on her back again, lower this time, and not lifting.

“Of course not.” Her smile was charming, looking easy and true in a way she’d spent years perfecting. “I’m not the sort to flirt and leave you wanting.” She drank more of her ale, trying to chase the sour taste from her mouth. “I’d rather us both be happy with where my flirting leads, wouldn’t you?” She leaned close, whispering in his ear as she cast Charm Person. “Take me home, handsome, and I’m sure we can have a nice time.”

There was a half-second pause as the spell took effect, where Eleanor’s heart nearly stopped, but… Then he grinned, dropping some coins on the bar as his hand slid lower still--nearly on her ass.  _ Great. _ “I think I know a place we could let that flirting lead to, if you’re alright with that.” His voice was low and rough in her ear, but loud enough that it just amplified the headache she had.

But, instead of kicking him in the crotch or stepping far from the pub with a dimension door, she was smiling and giving him a wink. “I like the sound of that plan.” And she let him lead her outside, faking a grin as he leaned in close. He smelled like shitty tobacco and shittier beer, and she just wanted to fucking  _ gag _ , but… Instead, she kept on smiling, far too sober for the whole thing but sticking with it anyway.  _ Nearly done,  _ she reminded herself.  _ Nearly home. _ Her plan played over and over in her mind: knock him out, get the crystal, leave the decoy, dimension door out. Go back to Ellyn, leave this fucking town and hopefully never come back.

It took longer than she expected to reach the house, surprisingly. She hadn’t expected him to be the sort to go to a pub so far from his home, because she was sure they’d passed one or two, but… Maybe it was close to work? But relief flooded over her when he finally walked her up to a tiny house, only taking  _ four fucking tries _ to unlock the door. One advantage of such a small place meant less places he could’ve hid the damn thing, which made it easier for her to get it and leave. So she played along, letting him pull her close with a smirk once he’d closed the door.

“My bedroom is this way,” he murmured, toying with her hair. “Not too much of a place, I know, but the bed is comfy enough.”

“Lead the way,” she breathed, trying to make sure she sounded more excited than exhausted. The flirting was starting to get on her nerves, and she just wanted a way to cast the spell with the rose petal in her pocket before he could notice or try to talk her damned pants off.

It wasn’t easy to try and get an eye on the room as he led her in, considering how much he was trying to distract her with talk and flirting. “Don’t think I’m  _ that _ easy,” she murmured, gently pushing him to sit on the bed. “A little patience makes it better, darling.”

“I’ve never been too great with patience,” he replied, letting her guide him down. His hands were on her hips as she smiled, just barely keeping herself from rolling her eyes. “But I’ll give it a shot.”

“You’re too kind,” she murmured, free hand going to her pocket. With a breathed word in Celestial, she cast sleep. The first bunch of rose petals dissipated under her fingers, and she rolled her eyes the moment his head hit the pillow. “ _ Fucking disgusting, _ ” she muttered to herself in Infernal, taking a look around the room. It was a relief to have him asleep, even if it was only for a minute. She took a second to cast detect magic after that, eyes sweeping the room. If she was lucky, it’d be sticking out just enough, but… No shine of magic caught her eye.  _ Fuck. _ Quickly, she started rummaging, keeping a count of seconds in her head as she did.

At forty-two seconds, she finally managed to catch a glimpse of magic.  _ Finally. _ She’d popped open the trunk at the foot of his bed, tossing most of his clothes and belongings around her. Her hands were closing around the large red crystal, preparing to swap it for the one she’d magically constructed an hour ago, when she heard--

_ Shit.  _ She knew her count was right. How the  _ fuck _ was he awake?

“What are you doing?” His voice was sharp, and seemed  _ much _ less drunk than before.

She froze, glancing up at him with an innocent smile. “I could ask you the same, sweetheart. You’re meant to be asleep.”

He was sitting up now, a hand reaching slowly for a sword. “Looks like you underestimated me.”

There was a brief pause as she calculated. He must have been stronger than she’d anticipated--the spell wasn’t enough to knock him out.  _ Fuck. _ “It’d seem so,” she agreed, trying to keep the panic out of her voice. “You’re stronger than you look, handsome. I’d be happy to continue our plans once I finish, though. I think we could both have some fun.”

But his expression just darkened as he gripped the sword, still looking at her. “Drop it now and I’ll be sure to kill you quickly.”

“But where’s the fun in that? I think we’d both be better off if you pretend you didn’t see a thing and we go back to having a nice night.” Behind that bravado, though, was a bit of a quaver. She knew she wasn’t strong enough to win a fight without the right spells--practically none of which she’d prepared this morning. No need to bring the heavy hitters when she’d been planning some simple theft, after all. “I’m sure I can make it worth your while.”

There was silence as metal dragged, the short sword shining in the candlelight.

“I promise, I--” She was cut off as he stood, suddenly seeming to loom above her. She muttered an incantation to gather the shadows into her hand, holding a blade made of them as she kept her grip on the crystal. “I don’t want to fight you, I swear. If someone asks, you could say it was lost in transit, or--”

He lunged at her before she could finish her sentence, drawing blood as he nicked her shoulder. She swore, but managed to keep the blade in her own hand, swiping at him and grinning when the shadows sank into his shoulder for a moment. But then he had kicked her, the core tumbling out of her hand and onto the floor as she hit the small nightstand and fell. She threw the shadowy dagger, watching it lodge in his chest again before dissipating into nothingness. She grinned, scrambling up to her feet to get ready to 

Before she could summon the shadow blade again, a series of glowing, incorporeal words appeared in the air next to Destrian as a figure shimmered into existence behind him. A stream of words were murmured in Elvish, then the room lit up with electric energy. El managed to bite down her scream as the lightning tore into her, vision going white for a second as she fell to the floor. Then she was blinking, an eye twitching, as she looked around.

Ellyn stood over her, offering a hand. “Get up.” Her voice was a little harsh as she yanked Eleanor up. “We need to stage this like a robbery was interrupted, and then  _ leave. _ Where’s the core?”

El looked over, spotting the red crystal--then frowning as she saw it in pieces on the floor. “Fuck,” she breathed, feeling like she’d been stabbed in the gut instead of just sliced. “ _ Fuck. _ ”

Ellyn followed Eleanor’s gaze, spotting the shards of inert crystal. “ _ For fuck’s sake _ ,” she breathed in Elvish. “Come on. Make it a bit more of a mess, scatter some coin. We can get you a potion and discuss what happened at the inn.” It took a few minutes before Eleanor had made the place sufficiently a disaster as Ellyn gathered some of the broken pieces of the core, but eventually Ellyn’s hand was on her shoulder and they dimension doored five hundred feet down the street.

Between the pain and the clear failure, El was in a state of shock as they made it back to their room in the inn. She sat on her bed, taking the healing potion from Ellyn silently and chugging it. She was still hurting, but now  _ slightly _ less.

Ellyn stood in front of Eleanor, waiting until the tiefling focused to start talking. She placed a hand on Eleanor’s shoulder, locking eyes with her. “This is what happened, so listen closely. You went back to his house. He had received some kind of intelligence, you slipped up, and he attacked. You killed him in self-defense and staged the scene, but when you found the core, it was already broken.”

“But--”

“ _ Eleanor. _ He knew someone was coming for him. He attacked you. The core was broken when you found it.  _ Say it _ .” Her voice was stern.

Eyes wide, Eleanor nodded and took a deep breath. “The target knew someone was after him. He attacked me, I retaliated. The core was broken when I found it.” She was shaking, hands clenching and unclenching on her thighs.

“Good.” Her expression was stern, reminding Eleanor of when her and Evie had been misbehaving as children. The elf sat next to her, putting an arm comfortingly around Eleanor’s shoulders, “So. Tell me what  _ really _ happened.”

“I--I rushed. I used charm person to help smooth things over, but it took longer than I thought it would for us to get to his place. And I thought he was weaker, so my sleep spell wasn’t strong enough to knock him out. And I should’ve disguised myself more so he wouldn’t have been able to track me down if he’d become suspicious. And I dropped the fucking crystal. I panicked and didn’t defend myself properly, and then I lost the item I’d been sent to extract.”

At this point Eleanor was shaking, so Ellyn tightened her arm around the tiefling. “You did mess up quite spectacularly, but perhaps you simply were not ready for this. I am going to do what I can to help you with this because not only will this reflect poorly on you but it will dull your sister’s success in the eyes of the Martinet. I do not condone this but I will admit I have a soft spot for the two of you and training is an opportunity to learn and make mistakes. That is why it is training.”

Eleanor nodded a little, still shaking as she leaned closer against Ellyn. “I know. Thank you for helping at all. I don’t--I don’t know what he’d do if he heard how badly I fucked up.” She bit her lip. “I don’t want to be a burden on Evie. I’ve been so much of one lately, and--I don’t want her punished for my mistakes anymore.”

“There will be ramifications. Do not think you will completely escape that, but my hope is you will understand what has happened and take it as a lesson.” 

“I know there will. That’s fine. I just… Fuck, I’m such a godsdamned idiot. I can’t do anything right. Da’leth is going to have my fucking hide for this.”

“Don’t talk about yourself like that dear. That will manifest deep within you to the point where you become what you think you are. You are amazingly capable, you just ran into a run of bad luck. And please do not refer to the Martinet so casually. That is disrespectful.” 

“Right, right. Sorry.” She clenched her hands, eyes shutting tight for a moment as frustration started to replace shock. “I made mistakes. But--I wasn’t ready. I feel like I was set up to fail.” She couldn’t stop herself, the anger bubbling up from deep inside of her. “I have no fucking training in how to handle a situation when it goes so awry. Reading theories in a book means nothing when you’re in the field, and I was left to fail.”

Ellyn leaned back, looking Eleanor in the eyes again. “Eleanor. The Martinet doesn’t take excuses. You’ll be lucky to get off lightly with my help.”

“I know, but--” She grit her teeth for a moment. “I’m  _ seventeen, _ and I feel like I’m being punished at every turn for things outside of my control. Freddie breaks off the betrothal, so it must mean that I didn’t do enough to make him stay. I fail at a mission I was  _ woefully _ unprepared for, and I’ll be punished. I get sent to  _ fucking Xhorhas _ , get  _ captured  _ by the _ Kryn _ , and somehow get myself  _ and _ Evie to a patrol, and then I get sent back to the Academy with an impossible objective, because I can hardly control  _ myself _ anymore, let alone anyone else. And I’m  _ still _ a failure. This is fucking  _ bullshit. _ ”

“ _ Eleanor. _ ” Ellyn’s voice was firm as she grabbed Eleanor by the shoulders. “You need to take a breath. I understand that you’re upset, but you  _ cannot _ say things like that. If this is how you feel, it’s a good thing you’re still in training. You need to get over yourself if you’re going to be an asset to the Assembly and Crown.”

Her nails dug into her palms, eyes squeezing shut. “Of course. I won’t--I’ll fix that. I’ll fix all of this.”

“Good.” Ellyn’s thumbs rubbed against Eleanor’s shoulders gently. “View this as a learning opportunity. It may be upsetting right now, but it  _ will _ be for the best. I promise.”

Eleanor just nodded again, feeling sick to her stomach. “Are we going back tonight?”

“We are. Let me contact the Martinet, let him know to expect us. You get a little rest.”

As Ellyn left, El flopped back onto the bed, heaving a sigh. She quickly fell asleep, taking a short and restless nap.

\-------

Evie had been relaxing in her dorm with Kore, worried about her sister but confident that Ellyn would make sure she was okay. The book that sat in her lap sagged as she began to doze off when suddenly, there was a knock on her door causing Evie to jump, knocking her glasses off her face. She straightened herself, brow furrowed. This was odd. Usually if someone needed her they just sent a message. She got up, Kore weaving beneath her feet as she made her way to the door.  
  
“Hello?” she opened it and was greeted by a familiar face, “Ellyn! Hello! This is a surprise. Come in.” pushing the door wider she walked back in, the elf following in, “What brings you here? I’m surprised you didn’t just message me.” 

“I figured I would stop by and bring the message personally. Also,” she kneeled down, giving the amber cat a scratch behind her ears, “A chance to see this gorgeous creature. Hello Kore.” The cat chirped at her and jumped onto one of the couches.  
  
“Is everything alright?” Evie felt a twist in her stomach, her mind racing with all the reasons she would be here.   
  
“The Martinet and I had a discussion about your recent fight with Anala. The new elf that the Martinet has brought on. We discussed your lack of control towards the end, and he decided that you would benefit from some further training. He would like you to report to the grounds where you fought Anala just before sundown.”   
  
“And who will I be sparring?” Evie clenched her hands trying to keep her nerves down.  
  
“You shall see. Just prepare yourself as needed and make sure you’re not late.”   
  
“Yes ma’am.” Evie nodded, trying to figure out who she would be up against, maybe Anala again? Or some other poor soul. Hopefully not Leo? Da’leth wouldn’t….

“I am afraid I have to take my leave. As much as I would like to chat I have other duties to attend to. Good luck Evaelyn. Remember to stay focused and in control.” Ellyn gave Evie’s shoulder a little squeeze before she turned and walked out the room.

Evie just sat there a moment, trying to figure out what to do. After some time she grabbed her spellbook and started going through it, selecting what spells she wanted to have on hand for whoever this mystery person she is fighting is. 

\--------

When Ellyn shook her awake, Eleanor still felt like absolute shit emotionally, but at least she felt a little better physically. It’d been only an hour or so, but it was time to go. Eleanor’s bag was already packed, so she was ready right away.

“The Martinet is aware of our impending arrival. It’s time to go, Eleanor. Do you remember what your report will say?”

El nodded, still looking exhausted. “The target was aware someone might come for him. He became suspicious and attacked me. I retaliated. When I found the core, it was already broken.”

“Good. Now come along, it’s time to teleport back.” Ellyn led her back to where they’d arrived, and in twenty minutes, they had returned to Rexxentrum. “Go report to the Martinet. He’ll want to hear from you.” There was a strange expression on Ellyn’s face, one that Eleanor couldn’t quite interpret, but she nodded and took her leave as instructed.

When she reached the study, she sat in the chair she always chose, waiting for Da’leth to address her. It was excruciating, sitting in the silence. But eventually, as always, he looked up and stared at her. “Eleanor.”

“Master Da’leth,” she replied, voice soft. “Thank you for seeing me.”

“Tell me of your mission.”

Her hands clenched for a second, but she nodded. “It turned out the target had been aware that people were searching for the core. He was suspicious of me, and made to attack me once we were alone. I retaliated, killing him. Then, when I found the core, it had been broken.” She took the small pouch Ellyn had given her, letting the unseen servant bring it to Da’leth. “I’m very sorry, sir.”

“Hm.” He took a moment to look at the pieces of the core when it came to him, frowning. “And why was he suspicious of you?”

“I’m not sure. I think my being a newcomer had him suspicious.”

“I see.” He looked down at some papers, then back to Eleanor. “You do know how I feel about failure, Eleanor.”

Her face paled as she looked at him. “Yes, sir. I do.”

“Good.” He paused, ignoring Eleanor for a moment. “Ah, excellent. Your sparring partner has arrived.”

El felt like her chest was in a vice as she looked at Da’leth. “But sir, I don’t have any combat spells prepared past a few weaker ones.”

“You managed to kill Destrian, did you not? I’m sure you can figure out how to fare well in this match. You needn’t kill anyone, of course, just fight until one of you is incapacitated. Come along.”


	2. Chapter 2

El could feel the panic rising as she was dismissed, but she stuffed it down as she walked into the training grounds where her and Evie had fought Anala. Da’leth and Ellyn were sitting at a safe distance, unsurprisingly; then she looked across to see…  _ Shit. _

Evie. Of  _ course. _

Evie was removing her coat and vest to allow for freer movement despite the cold when she turned, her heart dropping into her stomach. She hadn’t considered her opponent was going to be her sister. Her mind raced, she had promised to go all out and Ellyn knew  _ exactly  _ what Evie was capable of. She was sure her sister would understand. It’s not like they didn’t go all out on eachother in the past….except now they were both far more powerful and Evie’s offense was stronger than ever. 

Eleanor’s stomach was churning as she stared at her sister, a hand brushing against the small piece of wire she kept on her.  **I had no idea I’d be fighting. I hardly have any offensive spells.** She could feel the panic rising in her throat as she looked to their instructors, eyes wide. Da’leth used thaumaturgy to amplify his voice, clearly nonplussed. “Don’t hold back. The fight will end when one of you goes unconscious.” 

Evie nodded as her sister’s message went through, she had no clue what to say. This fight was not going to go well for Eleanor.  _ He  _ wanted this. She took a quick look up at Da’leth trying to keep her face neutral as she positioned herself in the field.  **I’m sorry El.** before she spun quickly, sending out her first attack. 

Eleanor was definitely scared as Evie squared off against her. Her sister was powerful, and… Gods, El didn’t have a single spell that was ready for this fight. Evie thrust her hand out a spark of energy flashing before a bolt of lightning struck through the air and towards her sister. Eleanor was trying to prepare a spell when the lightning exploded into her chest for the second time that day. She wasn’t able to contain herself this time, a scream ripped from her throat as she stumbled back.

Swearing in Infernal, Eleanor grabbed the adder’s stomach from her components pouch and shot off the one spell she could think of that would be useful. The sickly green arrow of magic shot towards her sister, but Evie dodged and was only hit with a small splash of acid instead. “ _ Fuck, _ ” she breathed again, hands clenching as she stood her ground.

This was happening too fast, sure she could throw another lightning bolt and most likely end this in the next few seconds but that would do nothing for either of them. She ran forward growling in infernal and holding her hand out, doing a grasping motion. Eleanor’s body went immediately rigid.

El was trying to prepare the shadow blade she’d used earlier, but her body froze before she could finish the invocation. She wanted to scream, feeling the frustration and panic fighting for control, but she couldn’t even do  _ that _ as she struggled against the spell’s hold and failed to free herself.

Evie took a breath reaching her hands to the sky, her fingers glazing over in an icey blue magic. Above Eleanor a large spike of ice formed and with a quick hand motion downwards the spike hit her directly, exploding and sending shards flying. Da’leth wiped a few chips off his own shoulder and continued to watch. 

Eleanor still couldn’t speak, let alone scream like she wanted to or shoot off a damned spell at her sister. All she could do was stay frozen to the spot, trying and failing to resist the grip of the magic as she felt the ice slice at her skin. She could feel hot blood trickling down her face, her arm, her back, but still her muscles and willpower failed.

Evie watched in horror as red bloomed on her sister’s face, but she kept it masked. She could not show weakness. She took a breath, this last attack had to be a good one. And while her sister did have resistance she knew that Da’leth would like this. Bringing her hands together sparks ignited on her fingertips, then transferred to beneath her sister’s feet. With a pop a plume of fire erupted around Eleanor. Evie looked away, hoping the blinding light would distract Ellyn and Da’leth enough to not catch her regret.

The drip of her own blood down her face was starting to make the panic worse, her breath coming quicker and quicker. But then she saw the sparks on Evie’s fingers, and could feel the tears escape as fire erupted around her. The pain was overwhelming, searing, and terrifying--but then her world went black as she collapsed, unconscious before she hit the ground.

Evie could feel her muscles screaming, all she wanted to do was run to her sister and heal her, apologize to her and pray for her forgiveness. But Ellyn and Da’leth were watching her. She walked closer, past her sister crumpled on the ground and stood before them.   
  
“I believe that means I won this match.” Evie started straight at Da’leth. 

“Indeed, it was….satisfactory. You held back but I understand you wanted the opportunity to try some of your other spells. Your training has been going well, clearly. There is still work to be done. I have some manners of business I would like to discuss if you would come with me. Lady de Mowbray, if you could take care of  _ that. _ ” His hand waved, unlooking, towards Eleanor’s unconscious form. 

“Of course Master Da’leth.” Ellyn smiled at Evie and then turned to attend to Eleanor. 

“Come now Evaelyn.” Da’leth turned and began his way back towards the city. 

Ellyn made her way to Eleanor, carefully feeding her a healing potion. “Come on,” she said softly. “Time to go.”

Eleanor coughed and sputtered as she woke up, eyes stinging. “Fuck,” she breathed, tears streaming from her eyes. “Where’s Evie?”

“The Martinet wanted to speak with her privately about other matters.” Ellyn was looking El over, wiping away the tears gently. “Clean yourself up, dear. It’s time to get you back to the Academy.” She helped Eleanor to her feet, supporting her as El limped along for a moment. “I know the lesson was harsh today, but like I said earlier… It’s for the best for you, Eleanor.”

El winced, casting prestidigitation to remove the blood from her skin and clothes. “I know. But that was fucking brutal.”

“Some lessons are.” Ellyn looked at Eleanor for a long second, a frown in her face, then glanced away. “Take care of yourself as best you can. And… Pay attention in your classes, dear. You’ll need to work hard to get back in the Martinet’s good graces after the failures you’ve demonstrated these last few months.”

“Failures? What have I failed at, besides the missions?”

“Not being able to ensure your betrothal is considered a failure in his eyes. And… There have been, ah, reports of your behavior at the Academy recently. To describe you as emotional is… A kind understatement. The word ‘erratic’ has been thrown around, and you failed to correct, so… The Martinet is understandably very upset that one of his most promising students is failing to live up to her potential.”

El nodded vaguely, eyes still stinging as the shame set in. “Of course. It makes sense. I’ll… I’ll work to be what he expects. I’m sorry.”

“Deeds, not words. You’ll be there soon enough.”

She sighed, a hand coming up to brush her hair from her face. It was shorter than before, some ends burnt away. Just one more problem for the list. “Thank you, Ellyn. I think I can make it from here on my own.”

“Of course. Take care of yourself, Eleanor. I’ll see you soon enough.” With another kind smile and the hand-off of a potion bottle, Ellyn disappeared into the twilight.

Eleanor stood there for a moment before chugging the potion, making her way slowly but surely towards the Soltryce Academy’s grounds. The slash across her face still stung, but at least she could breathe now.

**Author's Note:**

> much of Ellyn and all of Evie was written by SaphyreDaze! :>


End file.
